Control device for dispensing mechanism



Dec. 12, 1939. v R. J. FREEMAN CONTROL DEVICE FOR DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed March 2, 1939 glwc/Mo v JQOBer ZZ JFreeJn/arv,

{His Mow-ms Patented Dec. 12, 1939 PATENT OFFICE CONTROL DEVICE: FOR- DISPENSING DIECHANISM Robert J. Freeman, Atlanta, Ga.

Application March 2, 1939, Serial No. 259,441

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing cabinets and, particularly, to a dispensing mechanism for towel cabinets of the type in b which a continuous length of towel material is dispensed from a towel-supporting roll.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple form of mechanism for locking the roll against rotation and for unlocking and positively actuating the roll to initiate discharge of the towel from the cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for unlocking and actuating the towelsupporting roll, wherein the locking element and the roll-actuating element are preferably formed on a single member which, when moved in one direction, will first cause the roll to be unlocked and then positively rotate it.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a locking and actuating mechanism for the towel roll which will automatically prevent an excessive length of towel to be withdrawn from the cabinet during any one cycle of operations of the locking and actuating mechanism, although any desired length of towel material can be with- 5 drawn by actuating the control mechanism the desired number of times.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a control mechanism for the towel roll comprising an eccentric cam mounted to rotate with the roll and a slidable plate having two projections thereon, one of which is normally yieldingly held in engagement with a recess in the cam for looking the latter against rotation and the other of which projections is to be moved into engagement with the eccentric portion of the cam to initiate the rotary motion required of the cam and roll when a length of towel is to be dispensed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will hereinafter be more fully described, and

, the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims,

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View from the front to the rear of the cabinet;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1, this view being on a somewhat reduced scale;

Fig. 3 is a detail elevational view of the control mechanism in the position occupied immediately after the towel roll has been unlocked; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view, with the locking pro-' jection partially returned to locking position. The control mechanism is preferably supported carrying roll I I.

within the cabinet In at one end of the towel- In the present instance, the cabinet is illustrated as being provided with an inner partition I 2, the towel roll H being journaled in said partition and the opposite end wall 5 of the cabinet. To prevent the towel material becoming too loose on the roll, one or more tensioning rollers I3 may be journaled in the branches M of slots IS in said end wall and partition of the cabinet. The free end of the 10 towel material it is adapted to be drawn through an opening formed between the bottom of the cabinet and a metal plate I1.

One end of the shaft I 8 on which the towel roll is mounted extends through the partition i2 15 into the space I!) at that end of the cabinet and at the exterior surface of the partition there is mounted upon said shaft an eccentric cam disc 20, the disc being fast on the shaft so that it and the towel roller and towel will rotate in unison. 20

For normally locking the cam 293 against rotation, it is provided with a locking recess 2!, in which a locking element or projection 22 is adapted to engage. Preferably, this locking element or projection 22 is formed on a plate 23 having 25 a substantially semicircular recess therein so as to partially encircle the periphery of cam 20. Plate 23 is slidably retained by headed pins 24 extending through slots 25 in the plate, said pins 24 being firmly secured in a base 26 attached to 30 the exterior surface of partition i2. Plate 23, in effect, constitutes a plunger and is formed with an extension 2'! which projects through the front wall of the cabinet and is provided at its exterior end with a button or the like 28, by means of 35 which a person desiring to actuate the dispensing mechanism may press the plunger or plate inwardly. Normally, the plate or plunger is urged forwardly by a spring 29 surrounding extension 21 between the inner surface of the button 28 and an offset portion of the front wall of the cabinet and also bya spring 30 having its ends secured to the plate 23 and a pin 3i respectively, with the spring engaging against the second pin 32 at a point intermediate its ends. Thus, the 45 action of springs 29 and 30 tends to yieldingly hold the projection or locking element 22 in the locking recess 2| of cam 20, so that the cam and towel are substantially immovable.

It will be observedthat when the cam is thus 50 held in its locked position, the eccentric portion or the highest point of the cam is disposed in the same plane as the protuberance 33 formed on the plate 23. In the construction illustrated, this protuberance and the locking element 22 are 55 formed substantially opposite one another at points on the inner edge of the semicircular recess in the plate 23. The edge of the plate 23 forming part of the protuberance 33 is inclined as at 34, with the result that, as the plate is pushed inwardly, the pressure of the protuberance 33 and the inclined surface 34 against the eccentric portion of the cam 20 will tend to rotate said cam.

It will be appreciated that the relative positions of the locking element 22 and protuberance 33 and the spacing of said protuberance from the cam disc, is such that when the plate 23 is pressed inwardly, the locking element will be freed from the locking recess 2! just immediately before protuberance 33 comes into contact with the disc, so that continued inward movement of the plate and protuberance 33 will impart the rotary motion to the cam and, also, the towel roll. The positions of these parts at the time when the disc has been partially rotated by the protuberance 33 are illustrated in Fig. 3. As will appear from this figure, the cam disc 20 has been rotated to a point where the locking recess 2| is no longer in registry with the looking projection 22 and, hence, the towel roll is free to be further revolved by merely drawing the towel out of the cabinet. Under normal conditions of use, the control mechanism thus described will have been released by the user at the time the towel is being manually withdrawn from the cabinet, under which circumstances the control mechanism will assume the position shown in Fig. 4. That is, under the influence of springs 23 and 3B, the plate 23 will have been returned to the front of the cabinet, so to speak, until the outer end of the locking projection 22 engages against the periphery of the cam 20, it being remembered that the recess 2| has been moved out of registry with the locking projection. Hence, the user can draw the towel from the cabinet until cam 2|! has made a complete revolution and the locking recess has again moved into registry with the locking projection. At this time, the springs will, of course, cause the locking projection to again enter the recess 2!, whereupon the roll will be held against further movement until the button 28 and plate 23 are again depressed.

It will be seen that the present, so-called control mechanism is comparatively simple, con sisting essentially of the plunger plate 23 and the eccentric cam 20. There is very little wear on these parts and they can be made quite sturdy, so that all danger of the mechanism becoming inoperative is entirely eliminated. To further add to the simplicity of the construction, the locking projection and the actuating projection or protuberance 33 are formed integrally, both elements constituting part of what has been termed the plate 23 which, by having a substantially semicircular recess therein into which the protuberance and locking projection extend, can be positioned with respect to the cam so as to partially encircle the periphery of the latter and insure proper location of the locking projection and protuberance with respect to the locking recess and the eccentric portion of the cam.

What I claim is:

1. In a towel-dispensing mechanism having a rotatable towel-carrying roll, a revoluble shaft on which said roll is mounted, a cam disc mounted on said shaft, said disc having an eccentric periphery with a locking recess therein, a reciprocatory slide having integral projections with one of said projections normally engaging in said recess to lock the cam and shaft against rotation, said projection being disengageable from said recess by advance movement of the slide, and the other of said projections being engageable with the eccentric cam surface upon continued advance movement of the slide to initiate rotary motion of the cam disc and shaft and move said recess out of registry with said looking projection, said cam disc and shaft being completely rotatable to restore the recess in registry with said locking projection.

2. In a towel-dispensing mechanism having a rotatable towel-carrying roll, a rotatable shaft on which said roll is mounted, a cam disc mounted on said shaft, said disc having an eccentric periphery with a locking recess therein, a reciprocatory slide having a substantially semi-circular portion partially encircling said cam disc, said slide having guide slots therein at opposite sides of said disc, a guide pin in each of said guide slots, and projections formed integrally with said slide at opposite sides of the cam disc, one of said projections normally engaging in said recess to lock the disc and shaft against rotation, said projection being disengageable from said recess by advance movement of the slide, and the other of said projections being engageable with the eccentric portion of the disc periphery upon continued advance movement of the slide to initiate rotary motion of the disc and shaft and to move said recess out of registry with said locking projection, a complete revolution of said disc and shaft being required to restore the recess in registry with said locking projection after rotary motion of the disc is initiated.

ROBERT J. FREEMAN, 

